title: Transcript profiles in sugar beet genotypes uncover timing and strength of defense reactions to Cercospora beticola infection.
abstract: Cercospora leaf spot disease, caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, is the most destructive foliar disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) worldwide. Despite the great agronomical importance of this disease, little is known about its underlying molecular processes. Technical resources are scarce for analyzing this important crop species. We developed a sugar beet microarray with 44,000 oligonucleotides that represent 17,277 cDNAs. During the four stages of C. beticola-B. vulgaris interactions, we profiled the transcriptional responses of three genotypes: susceptible, polygenic partial resistance, and monogenic resistant. Similar genes were induced in all three genotypes during infection but with striking differences in timing. The monogenic resistant genotype displayed strong defense responses at 1 day postinoculation (dpi). The other genotypes displayed defense responses in a later phase (15 dpi) of the infection cycle. The partially resistant genotype displayed a strong defense response in the late phase of the infection cycle. Furthermore, the partially resistant genotype expressed pathogen-related transcripts that the susceptible genotype lacked. These results indicate that resistance was achieved by the ability to mount an early defense response, and partial resistance was determined by additional defense and signaling transcripts that allowed effective defense in the late phase of the infection cycle.
authors.affiliation: PLANTA Angewandte Pflanzengenetik und Biotechnologie, Einbeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Fridtjof
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weltmeier
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mäser
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menze
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schad
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Breuer
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holtschulte
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nehls
authors.forename: Dietmar J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stahl
mesh_terms: D027461:Beta vulgaris / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic